Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
by Trixle
Summary: Have you ever wondered how Lily and James first met and how they got together? This is my version of their story and believe me, it isn't boring.
1. Prologue

**:Prologue:**

A young girl with red hair and green eyes boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time in her life. She was so excited that she had trouble holding on to her trunk so with a big bang she dropped it on the ground. All of her newly bought school-things fell out and created a terrible mess on the platform.

"Oh, you should have let us help you with that, Lily-dear," a woman who also had red hair said while she and her husband quickly started to pick Lily's things up.

"Need a hand?"

Lily looked up and saw a pretty girl with big brown hair and big brown eyes. Her nose was covered with freckles and she was smiling widely.

"I'm Emma Baxter," she introduced herself as she bend down to help.

"I'm Lily Evans."

They finally got Lily's trunk on the train and she kissed her parents goodbye just as the train started to move. Quickly she jumped on and waved at her parents.

"Bye Lily-dear! Have a great time. We'll see you again for Christmas. Love you!" her mom yelled like all the other parents and waved.

Lily felt sad about leaving her parents. She had never been away from them for so long before but she was also very excited about meeting new people and seeing new places.

"Do you want to find a compartment?" Emma asked and Lily was glad she had found someone to talk to this fast.

"Sure."

The train was full of students and it was really hard to get through so Lily accidentally bumped into a boy on her way.

"Sorry," she said and turned to look at him. He had blond hair and Lily would have thought he looked handsome if it hadn't been for the evil scowl on his face.

"Watch where you're going, stupid red-head," he growled and turned away.

Lily was stunned. She hadn't expected him to be this rude.

Almost all of the compartments were full but the two girls managed to find an empty one at last.

"Phew. Finally!"

Emma sighed and sat down near the window. Lily closed the door and did the same.

Emma was very talkative and kept asking Lily all kinds of questions until they were interrupted by two boys who opened the door to their compartment. They both had black hair but one of them looked like he had never seen a comb in his whole life. His hair was so untidy that it almost looked ridiculous.

"Do you mind us sitting inhere with you? Everywhere else is full," the one with untidy hair asked but he had already closed the door again and was walking towards the seat next to Lily.

"Holy moly! Your hair's on fire!" he blurted when he saw Lily's hair and sat down.

Lily immediately reacted by sticking her tongue out and pushing him. She had been teased with her hair her whole life and she was sick of it.

"Hey!" the other boy exclaimed as the first one fell on the floor.

"Don't make fun of my hair!" she hissed and crossed her arms.

The boy on the floor laughed and stood up.

"Carrot," he said to provoke her and it certainly worked. Both Lily and Emma jumped up and pushed the boys out of the compartment.

"Stay away!" Lily said sternly as she slammed the door in front of them. They stuck out their tongues and laughed as they hurried away.

"I hope I never see him again," Lily grunted and thought it couldn't get any worse.


	2. Helpyourselfish

**:1. Helpyourselfish:**

Lily was shocked.

"Potter is Head Boy? You've got to be kidding!"

The girl in front of her rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm serious. He just told me. I met the Marauders before."

Lily couldn't believe it. She had been chosen to be Head Girl and at first she had been extremely thrilled but now that she knew… knew that _he_… It just wasn't fair! James Potter had always been and always would be her greatest source of annoyance. He followed her in everything she did and whenever he had the chance he asked her out. As if she would ever go out with him. It was absurd to even think about it! She hated him and now she was doomed to spend time with him. A true nightmare.

She collapsed in her seat.

"Why him Emma? Why? I mean… his grades are really good and all but he's so annoying! Not to mention that he and Sirius beat the record for most detentions several years ago. How am I supposed to work with someone like him?"

"You're right about that Lily but it seems that all the teachers like those two pranksters anyway."

"Yeah like everyone else. Am I the only one who can see what a great git Potter is?"

"Oh come on Lily, he isn't that bad. He seemed very pleased when I told him that you are head Girl. He smiled in that charming way, you know."

"No I don't know. Honestly Emma, why don't you just date him yourself when you think his smile is so charming?"

"You very well know why. I would never do that."

Yes, Lily knew why. Emma had fancied Sirius ever since she first laid eyes on him. Lily couldn't blame her. Sirius was, without question, the most handsome boy Lily had ever seen. His hair was dark and long and it always had a natural wave, that really brought out his handsome features. He always had a twinkle in his eyes and every time a girl looked in them her heart skipped a beat. All the girls wanted to be with him, and they would do anything for one of his charming smiles.

Lily had also fancied him once but out of respect for Emma she had forced herself to forget all about that. Lily really loved Emma but it hadn't always been easy because every time Sirius dated a new girl – and he had dated quite a few – Emma went all moody. Last year Sirius had finally started to notice Emma and they flirted a lot but nothing had happened between the two yet. This made Lily wonder, because it wasn't like Sirius not to make a move on a girl he so obviously wanted.

"How are things going between you and Sirius?"

"I don't really know. One minute he's flirting with me and being really sweet and the next he seems afraid of talking to me. It's really strange!"

"I've noticed it too. It isn't like him."

"Lily couldn't you try and talk to him? I know you two talk a lot so maybe you could get him to say something about me."

Lily looked alarmed.

"Do you mean it? I really wouldn't feel comfortable doing that, you know."

"But I'll feel so much better if I know how he feels about me. Please, please, Lily", she begged.

How could Lily say no?

"Hmm… Okay, but you shouldn't get your hopes up!"

Emma jumped to Lily's side and gave her a huge hug.

"Thank you! You're the best, Lily Evans."

--------

Later Lily made her way through the train to a meeting with the prefects and the Head Boy. She dreaded the moment she had to face Potter but she had barely thought this before she heard him behind her.

"Lily Evans. Well, well, well. Guess you and I will be spending a lot of time together this year."

Lily slowly turned around to face the smirking James Potter.

"Shut up."

She turned away from him and started walking again and she knew that he was following her.

"So how do you think we should decorate our new common-room?"

She stopped. She had completely forgotten the fact that she would be sharing a private common-room with the Head Boy. She inhaled and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. Annoyingly aware of James' breathing behind her she turned around again.

"I'm not decorating anything with you, Potter. And I'm spending as little time with you as possible."

During the meeting she did everything she could to ignore James and she made sure that he would be patrolling the train with one of the prefects instead of her.


	3. Starting All Over Again

**:2. Starting All Over Again:**

Lily and Emma had a lot to talk about on the train. They hadn't seen each other all summer because Lily had been visiting some distant relatives in Australia. They were now beginning their seventh and last year on Hogwarts and they were especially excited about the ball they would have around April. They were discussing what to wear when the door to their compartment opened and a boy with very untidy black hair and glasses stuck his head in at the door.

"Hey you two beautiful girls", James said. Lily sneered when she saw his head Boy-badge.

"Are you enjoying yourselves? You know, we marauders just talked about you two not having dates for the ball. And we think we might be able to help y…."

"Would you mind leaving us alone?", Lily said sarcastic and looked at James with anger.

"Now, now, my dear Evans."

James sat down next to her.

"Can't we just forget the past and start over? I really want us to be friends, and since we're Head Boy and Girl we have to set an example."

He actually sounded very serious which barely ever happened but Lily knew what her answer was. She turned to look at him and found herself gazing into his deep hazel eyes. For a moment she hesitated but then she shook her head like she reproved herself.

"No, that won't happen. I'm tired of you always following me. I'm going to ask them to find another Head Girl."

James looked hurt but Lily turned away from him. The door to the compartment opened again and Lily was glad she could concentrate on the new arrival instead of James.

"Hey Prongs, I thought you'd be here. Evans."

Sirius nodded at Lily and turned to Emma.

"Hey, Emma. You forgot this in our compartment."

He handed her a book and when she took it their hands touched. They both looked embarrassed and Emma blushed.

"I wondered where that was", she said with a little voice while she looked at the floor. Sirius ran his fingers through his hair and for a second Lily actually hoped that it was _her_ fingers but she pushed the thought away. There was an awkward silence but then Sirius exclaimed:

"Well, are you coming Prongs? I have this great idea. We might not be able to get Moony in on it but I'm sure Wormtail will be thrilled to help us out."

Sirius left the compartment smirking and James followed. Lily was determined not to look at him.

"I can't believe James actually thought I would fall for that! What do you think, Emma? Emma?"

"Ohh… sorry. What did you say?"

"Never mind. What was it Sirius brought you?"

"Just a book I forgot while I was in their compartment saying hallo."

Emma was still blushing and Lily wondered if Emma might have left the book in there on purpose.

"Oi, we're nearly there. We better go change", exclaimed Emma with an exaggerated cheerfulness that only made Lily more suspicious.

----------

After they had left the train Lily and Emma found one of the horseless coaches to sit in. It no longer bothered them that the coaches seemed to move by themselves even though they both came from muggle-families. There were simply too many weird things to wonder about them all.

"Hey, do you have room for a couple more?" James' head had appeared and he smiled like his conversation with Lily had never taken place.

"Sirius! Remus! Peter! I found a coach!", he yelled and a few seconds later they were all huddled together in the coach. Lily didn't even have time to protest, which she was almost sure she would have.

Remus was a bookworm like Lily and those two got along really well but Lily often felt that he didn't let her see the real him.

Peter was the odd-man-out in the group. He was nothing like the others and actually kind of stupid and creepy. But still there was something about him that made Lily pity him. Especially at that moment where he was clinging desperately to the side of the coach so he wouldn't fall out.

It was a very quiet ride to the castle and that was a bit strange because if anyone knew how to break a silence it was the infamous Marauders.


	4. Cheers Darlin'

**:3. Cheers Darlin':**

The next morning Lily and Emma got up early so there weren't many at the Gryffindor table when they sat down to eat breakfast. Lily was very excited about getting her schedule so they could start the day. She loved to read and to learn new things but Emma definitely didn't feel the same way. When it came to school the two girls were very different.

"What lessons are you taking this year, Emma?" Lily asked interested.

"Lily we've been over this. I refuse to talk about school in our last minutes of freedom."

But Lily didn't notice what she said.

"I'm taking transfiguration and…", she continued but was interrupted when someone tapped her on her shoulder.

She looked up and saw Henry smiling at her. Henry was in her year but in Ravenclaw and last year he had begun to show a lot of interest in her.

"Can I sit with you, Lily?"

"Yes of course you can", she said and smiled. Henry always made her feel comfortable and he liked to study too.

"What lessons are you taking?" he asked and Lily who was more than happy to talk about that, started to babble on.

Neither Lily nor Henry noticed that James had walked through the doors in that moment and now stood watching Henry (who smiled even more and listened very interested to what Lily had to say) with a gloomy expression.

Emma was the only one who saw James and she looked irritably at Henry, but he was too busy listening to notice.

Sirius appeared behind James.

"Hey you're blocking the way in, Prongs. Are you protesting against the school start?", Sirius asked cheerfully.

"No. It's that turd Henry Parker. Who does he think he is!"

Sirius looked over James' shoulder to see what he was talking about and sighed.

"You can't keep others from showing interest in Evans. She's pretty good looking, you know."

"Want to bet? I think I'll have a little chat with Parker."

James was almost steaming with anger so Sirius put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"James, do you really think that Lily would be happy if she found out? I know a thing or two about women and it isn't a good idea to fight the girl's friends if you want her. You just have to make sure that she realizes that you're way better than that teacher's pet. Look at him. You're much better looking than him and Lily has always had a soft spot when it comes to you, if you ask me."

James had puffed himself up but now he lowered his shoulders and sighed.

"Why doesn't she ever want to talk to me?"

"Don't worry. Now that you are Head Boy and Head Girl you'll have plenty of time together. She'll soon realize that Parker isn't worth anything. I mean…. He has no humour!"

James knew it wasn't completely true but he now felt a lot better.

"Hey, you're blocking the way in!", someone yelled behind them and they both laughed.

-------

Still laughing James and Sirius sat down opposite Henry and Lily.

"Who said you could sit here, Potter?"

Lily looked reproachfully at him.

"It's a free country, my dear Evans," James said in his most innocent voice.

"I'm absolutely not your 'dear Evans', Potter! And you can do whatever you want. I couldn't care less."

"That's funny because it actually sounds like you _do_ care," Sirius said while he filled his plate with food.

"Stay out of it Sirius!" Lily looked down and ate her breakfast without speaking to any of them.

Henry looked confused but he followed Lily's example after he received a threatening look from James. Sirius, on the other hand, was very cheerful and he flirted obviously with Emma.

They all continued like this until McGonagall came with their schedules. James and Sirius had the exact same lessons but in transfiguration andpotions they had been divided so Sirius' first lesson was transfiguration while James' was potions. Lily thought that the teachers might have done this on purpose to get a break from their never-ending pranks.

"What's your first lesson, Evans?" Sirius asked.

Lily had cooled of while she ate, so now she looked up.

"The same as you. Transfiguration."

"Thank God. Then you can help me with my homework."

Sirius gave her one of his most charming smiles and Lily couldn't help smiling back. None of them noticed how annoyed Henry, James and Emma looked at them.

"And by 'help' I guess you mean that I'll do the homework and you'll copy? Sorry, but I won't let you do that."

She tried to say it convincingly but Sirius just kept smiling at her like he knew better.

James cleared his throat.

"Better get going before the lesson starts."

"Since when do you care if you're late for class?" Lily asked surprised but James was already on his way out.

"Do you want to meet later and do homework, Lily?" Henry asked. He felt a lot more comfortable now James had left.

"Of course. We can meet after dinner. I'm sure we'll have plenty to do."

Henry smiled, said goodbye and left too.

"I have to go to the greenhouses. Are you two coming?"

Lily and Sirius got up and followed Emma.

"I can't believe you actually chose Herbology, Emma," Sirius said.

"Well, my grades are good and I kind of like it."

"I didn't mind the lessons either." Sirius looked like he remembered something funny and Lily knew that he was thinking about all the trouble he and James had made during their Herbology lessons.

"I'm off for the greenhouses now. I'll see you two later. And Lily, don't forget what I asked you on the train."

Lily nodded as Emma waved goodbye. She was right. This was the perfect opportunity to talk to Sirius without the others interrupting. But how was she going to ask him?


End file.
